Ghanaians prefer tall leaders - Research

Months of survey by The aL-hAJJ across the country has revealed that, regardless of the constitutional requirement of who qualifies for election as President, Ghanaians in general prefer either bulky, thick, tall, lanky or well-built persons as leaders.

While most respondents agree competence is key for sound governance, the overwhelming majority also noted that in Ghanaian politics, the personality and looks of the candidate who wants to lead the country also form a basis for his or her selection in the nation’s keenly contested presidential elections.

Respondents pointed out that Ghanaians generally, especially the women under most circumstances, turn to admire and respect huge frame personalities popularly referred to as thick-tall or in the local Akan parlance “Bema-tintin-gram” over their diminutive colleagues, though none of them could adduce how this came about.

The study was done in all the ten regions of the country using sample based on the region’s voting population per the Electoral Commission’s voting register. Ashanti and Greater Accra regions have the largest representation in the sample. Questionnaire was administered by agents of this newspaper in all the ten regions.

Interestingly, this verdict came at a time delegates of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over the weekend gave their twice defeated presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo an overwhelmingly endorsement as the party’s 2016 flag bearer.

Last Saturday, the septuagenarian, Nana Akufo-Addo, also one of NPP’s most loyal and dedicated members who began pursuing his political dreams since 1998, whipped his fiercest rival Alan Kwadwo Kyeremanten and new entrant, Hon. Francis Addai-Nimoh to annex the party’s flag bearer post for the third consecutive time.

However, if the result of the nationwide survey is anything to go by then the biggest opposition party may have a herculean task convincing Ghanaians to crown the effort of Nana Addo Akufo-Addo with the presidency come 2016.

While the former Foreign Affairs Minister’s over 30 years active service in the hurly burly of Ghanaians politics still stands as an enviable record that has equipped him with the needed expertise to become President, his diminutive structure, however, according to the outcome of results by majority of Ghanaians who spoke to this paper on the subject and who mostly prefer well-built personalities as president, means Nana Akufo Addo may once again miss out on his childhood ambition of becoming president in 2016. The likelihood of Nana Akufo Addo missing out on his dream in the next presidential election may not come as a surprise, aside the mystery of the name John is associated with all presidents of Ghana, especially in the Fourth Republic; all other Ghanaian leaders since independence were averagely tall, thick or lanky.

This personality claim in the selection of who leads a country although trivial to some people, was first endorsed by no less a person other than former President Kufuor when he was quoted by Dr Kobina Arthur Kennedy in his book “chasing the elephant into the bush” to have recommended the party to select nice, tall and handsome looking candidate for the 2008 elections.

Mr Kufuor’s statement, which was then said to have been tailored to block the chances of Nana Akufo-Addo, manifested during his own stewardship when he was nicknamed “gentle giant,” obviously for his tall and huge stature.

Aside Mr Kufuor, Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, out of admiration for his looks, gained the accolade “show boy”, the case was not different from former President Rawlings who was also hailed as “Junior Jesus” also for his looks.

Prime Minister Busia and former Presidents Liman and Mills, though may not compare to Kufour, Rawlings or Mahama, nevertheless, have their personal peculiar attributes that endeared them to the electorates.

In recent times and particularly in the heat of the last presidential election, President John Dramani Mahama was rated over his close rival Nana Akufo Addo, especially by the youth and women in general, for his physical looks.

A key slogan that run through the 2012 election was “boosu keena” an apparent reference to President John Mahama’s stout posture and looks as against Nana Akufo-Addo’s diminutive looks.